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December 16, 2019

Marni Wieshofer Appointed Lead Director of Thunderbird Entertainment’s Board of Directors

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Ms. Wieshofer was formerly the CFO and EVP of Corporate Development at Lionsgate Entertainment, one of the world’s largest independent entertainment studios

Ms. Wieshofer previously recognized by Variety in the 2018 Dealmakers Impact Report

Thunderbird provides voting results update from its 2019 Annual General Meeting

Vancouver, Canada, December 16, 2019  — Thunderbird Entertainment Group Inc. (TSXV:TBRD) (Thunderbird or the Company), today announced that shareholders overwhelmingly approved all matters considered at the Company’s Annual General Meeting (“AGM”) held December 10, 2019. Details of the voting results are provided in this release.

Thunderbird also announced that immediately following the AGM, the Board of Directors appointed Marni Wieshofer as an independent Board member. Ms. Wieshofer was also appointed as the Lead Director.

“I have had the privilege to work with Marni as our CFO when I launched Lionsgate over 20 years ago,” commented Frank Giustra, major shareholder and board member of Thunderbird. “I know firsthand that her experience and reputation in the media industry in the United States and internationally is second to none. I am so pleased to pass the role of Lead Director to Marni because the Company will benefit immensely from her expertise during this period of growth for both Thunderbird and the industry.”

“I feel honoured and humbled to be adding Marni to the Board in such a pivotal role at this time in the company’s evolution. In building teams across many sectors, I live by the approach of surrounding an organization with the absolute best and brightest in their respective roles,” commented Brian Paes-Braga, Chairman of Thunderbird. “Marni fills this approach perfectly. Her financial ability, deal flow, deep industry relationships combined with expertise in the United States is invaluable for Thunderbird at this time.”

Ms. Wieshofer’s background includes serving as the CFO and EVP of Corporate Development at Lionsgate Entertainment where she oversaw the company’s mergers, acquisitions, and other strategic financial initiatives including the acquisitions and integration of Trimark Pictures, Artisan Entertainment and Redbus Films Distribution U.K. to name a few, as well as the sale of Lionsgate Studios and the Canadian distribution business. Her background also includes being a Managing Director in Houlihan Lokey’s TMT Corporate Finance Group, based out of Los Angeles, providing M&A, capital markets, financial restructuring and financial advisory services. Before joining Houlihan Lokey, Ms. Wieshofer was a Managing Director at MESA, a boutique advisory investment bank, where she spearheaded investment banking, strategy, and valuation engagements for companies throughout the media space. Prior to MESA, Ms. Wieshofer was the SVP of Mergers & Acquisitions and CFO at Media Rights Capital. There she was responsible for identifying and developing strategic entertainment ventures and acquisitions as well as corporate finance. Ms. Wieshofer’s experience also includes prominent roles at Coopers & Lybrand Chartered Accountants and Alliance Atlantis Communications.

Ms. Wieshofer holds a BA from Western University and an MBA from the Rotman School of Management. She is a Canadian Chartered Accountant and obtained the ICD.D designation in 2018. Ms. Wieshofer is currently a member of the Board of Directors of Film2Future, a member of the Dean’s Advisory Committee at the Rotman School of Management, and the Chair of the Women’s Volleyball Be Extraordinary Campaign at Western University.

“I am delighted to join the Board and have the opportunity to work alongside Frank Giustra again,” said Ms. Wieshofer. “I look forward to working with Brian, Jenn and the entire team to build on what they have accomplished to date. Together, we will further Thunderbird’s focus on developing global brands, creating strong industry relationships, producing quality programming, cultivating a true sense of team, and investing in owned-IP.”

Pursuant to the Company’s incentive stock option plan, Ms. Wieshofer was granted options to purchase 250,000 shares at a price of $1.32 per share for seven years.

Francesco Aquilini, a Thunderbird Board member since 2014, elected to not stand for re-election this year, in order to permit him more time to pursue his many other business endeavours. The Company would like to thank Mr. Aquilini for his many contributions as a board member and for his unwavering financial support during a crucial phase of Thunderbird’s growth.

Voting Results

Full details of the following matters that were voted on at the AGM of Company shareholders, held on December 10, 2019, are set out in the Company’s management information circular dated October 25, 2019 (the “Information Circular”), which is available on SEDAR at www.sedar.com.

  1. Election of Directors

All of the nominees listed in the Circular were elected to serve as directors of the Company, with the outcome of votes being as follows:

Nominee % of Votes

For

% of Votes

Withheld

Timothy Gamble 99.6% 0.4%
Frank Giustra 100% 0%
Frank Holmes 99.6% 0.4%
Azim Jamal 100% 0%
Jennifer Twiner McCarron 100% 0%
Mark Miller 99.6% 0.4%
Brian Paes-Braga 99.5% 0.5%
Paul Sparkes 99.6% 0.4%

 

  1. Appointment of Auditor

PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP was re-appointed as the auditor of the Company for the ensuing year and the Directors were authorized to fix their remuneration.

% of Votes

For

% of Votes

Withheld

99.4% 0.6%

 

  1. Annual Re-Approval of Stock Option Plan

The Company’s incentive stock option plan was approved.

% of Votes

For

% of Votes

Against

99.9% 0.1%

 

About Thunderbird Entertainment Group Inc.

Thunderbird Entertainment Group is a Vancouver-based global multiplatform entertainment company with offices in Vancouver, Los Angeles, Toronto, Ottawa and London. Thunderbird creates award-winning scripted, unscripted and animated programming for the world’s leading digital platforms, as well as Canadian and International broadcasters. Thunderbird’s vision is to produce high quality, socially responsible content that makes the world a better place.  The Company develops, produces and distributes animated, factual and scripted content through its various divisions, including Thunderbird Kids and Family (Atomic Cartoons), Thunderbird Factual (Great Pacific Media) and Thunderbird Productions. Thunderbird also has a division based in the United Kingdom dedicated to establishing partnerships with production companies to develop the Company’s intellectual property (IP) and growth in key international territories. Thunderbird is on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram at @tbirdent. For more information, visit: www.thunderbird.tv

For information on Thunderbird and to subscribe to the Company’s investor list for news updates, go to www.thunderbird.tv.  For further information, please contact:

Investor Relations Contacts:

Lucas Cahill and Freddie Leigh

Phone: + 1 604.683.3555
Email: investors@thunderbird.tv

Media Relations Contact:

Julia Smith, Finch Media

Phone: +1 604.803.0897
Email:  julia@finchmedia.net

 Neither the TSX-V nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX-V) accepts responsibility of the adequacy or accuracy of this release, which has been prepared by management.

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